It wasn’t love at first sight with Fresh & Easy: Neighborhood Market. We flirted for a bit several years ago, but there was no chemistry and the relationship didn’t go anywhere. Over the past year we reconnected, I discovered some very attractive qualities and fell in love. I’ve found that Fresh & Easy has a wide variety of healthy choices, several ways to save money, and it is convenient. Since my family began eating more real food, Fresh & Easy is where I spend the most of my grocery budget.
Note: Fresh & Easy is currently only in California, Nevada and Arizona. If you live elsewhere and know of a similar type of store let me know. I think Trader Joe's is similar. We have them in Las Vegas, but it's not close enough to where I live to shop there.
Here is my rundown of why I love
Fresh & Easy:
The
Fresh & Easy brand – Fresh & Easy brand products do not include
high fructose corn syrup, added trans-fats, or artificial coloring or flavors.
This really attracted me to the store once I knew about it. Their products are
clearly labeled so you don’t forget. Of course these items are all processed,
packaged items, but they are a better choice than much of what is out there
from other companies. Still read their labels because there may be other
ingredients you are trying to avoid that are included. I really like that they
are listening to what consumers want or don’t want and make better choices
available at their store.
Meat – Fresh &
Easy has a wide variety of meat, which I just recently discovered. I used to
buy regular ground beef (no pink slime!!) and chicken because the prices were
reasonable. When we decided that we wanted to go to organic chicken and grass-fed
beef we found that they carried those as well. They have a few different types
of seafood, pork and turkey too. So no
matter what my meat choices have been, I have found they have what I need. I
have also recently discovered they have some nitrate free options for bacon,
lunch meats, salami, and pepperoni. That makes me J.
Produce – They don’t
have a huge selection and I don’t buy the bulk of my produce here, but when I
do need something to supplement what I get from Bountiful Baskets this is a good
option. They have some organic items and many conventional choices. It’s
reasonably priced too. If you are looking for something unusual you might have
to look elsewhere, but if you just want your usual produce choices you’ll have
no problem getting what you need.
Saving
Money
The
Clearance Section
– I found this section early on and check it every time I go. There is a
refrigerated section and a non-refrigerated section. Check here for some great deals. Just keep in
mind that the items need to be used quickly. Sometimes we find our favorite
pizza dough super cheap and just freeze it until we need it.
Coupons – Fresh &
Easy does not accept manufacturer coupons, but who care when you can save a lot
more money with their store coupons. This is my most recent discovery. I always
used one of their coupons and got $3 or $5 off. However, you can use more than
one of their store coupons in one transaction. For example, if I spend $100 I
can use 4-$5 off $25 coupons, which takes my total from $100 to $80. Even in my
short-lived couponing days I never did that well. Most manufactures coupons are
for highly processed food I wouldn’t buy anyway. Win-win for me.
The
Friends Card
– This is a new program that I am so glad I signed up for a few months ago. For
every 500 points you get $5 to use on a transaction. You don’t have to spend
$500 either because they often have double and triple point items so you can
accrue points very quickly. I’ve probably gotten $30 dollars back already since
I got my card. You can use your $5 off from the card and coupons in the same
transaction too.
Convenience – Fresh &
Easy is a small store so even at their busiest times in the early evening and
on weekends it’s never as busy as other grocery stores. I don’t hate grocery
shopping when I go to Fresh & Easy.
I feel like Fresh & Easy has
a lot to offer to anyone who is trying to make better food choices. You still
need to do your homework and read labels because not everything sold in the
store is a healthy option. They carry a number of the big name brand products
for anyone who just wants the small store convenience. The selection on natural
and organic products is not as extensive as a store like Whole Foods, but it
does the job for the regular week to week shopping trips.
So if you have a Fresh & Easy
in your area check it out. If you’ve already been to Fresh & Easy see if
there is something about the store that you haven’t taken full advantage of in
the past. You might fall in love too.
0 comments:
Post a Comment